/ Teething by @_megharao

There are certain people in this world who make you look at words like never before. They string them together like delicate pearl necklaces, only more precious. Megha's words fall onto our bodies like rose petals, the ones that are ripped from its stem. So you see beauty but also the price it had to pay for being wanted. This cracker of a book became my instant favourite, making me ponder about how something less than a 100 pages can carry such tremendous power to make one feel things all the way to their toes.

Megha writes about her family in a way that makes you want to hug yours, to protect them from all things ugly and to assure them of your love. Growing up in Kerala with her two siblings and barely present parents, Megha becomes an adult way too early. She watches her brother put on makeup and try skirts behind closed doors, sees her sister falling in and out of love, all the while dealing with heartbreaks herself. There's a lot of grief balancing on these pages, threatening to fall as you flip them. But there's also glimpses of love that acts as a salve. She writes with searing honesty by moulding her words into beautiful metaphors.

I may not be the first person to say this nor will I be the last but Megha's biggest strength is her ability to build stunning metaphors. There were times when my heart went 'Oh!' as I laid a palm on my beating chest. A soft sigh escaped my lips and I wanted to burrow myself into these pages and float on her words.

Megha's debut poetry book is much like a bittersweet memory, full of loss and love but one that always stays at the back of your mind. I strongly recommend this one.

Thank you for gifting this beautiful piece of magic to me @_megharao . I cannot wait to read more of your work